12/28/2010

Tuscan Frittata Affogata

I love getting my Williams-Sonoma catalog in the mail. While dinner is cooking, I will stand in the kitchen and leaf through the pages looking for inspiration. This recipe was the perfect example, Tuscan Frittata Affogata.

A frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelet or quiche that can be filled with a wide variety of meats, vegetables, and cheeses. Affogata is the Italian word for "drowned". This recipe starts with browning sausage, onions, and peppers. The egg is poured over the meat and vegetables and then it is "drowned" with crushed tomatoes and cheese. Simple and delicious!

The original recipe called for Pecorino-Romano, but I had some good Parmigiano-Reggiano. I also added some garlic because I love garlic. In preparation, the original recipe called for flipping the frittata from one pan to another, but I just put it in a preheated oven and baked it for a few minutes. Then, I pulled it from the oven, "drowned" it with the tomatoes and cheese, and placed it under the broiler until the cheese was hot, bubbly and just starting to brown. Served with a nice salad-- dinner was ready!

Oh, and if there are any leftovers...get yourself 2 slices of country bread. Sandwich the frittata between the bread with a little extra mozzarella cheese. Brush the bread lightly with olive oil and place it in a panini press or a skillet with a heavy plate on top. Cook until toasted and melty and you have yourself a delicious frittata panini for lunch. Yum!

Preheat the oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cook the sausage breaking up large pieces until browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer sausage to a separate bowl. Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel. In the same pan over medium high heat, warm the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté onion and pepper until softened, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan; pour in the egg mixture.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are just barely set. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Turn the broiler on and move the oven rack to the highest position. Spread crushed tomatoes over the eggs and arrange the mozzarella on top. Broil the frittata for 3-5 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Slide the frittata onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the torn basil leaves. Enjoy!